22:11,12It was customary for wedding guests to be given wedding clothes to wear to the banquet. It was unthinkable to refuse to wear these clothes. That would insutt the host, who could only assume that the guest was arrogant and thought he didn’t need these clothes, or that he did not want to take part in the wedding Celebration. The wedding clothes picture the righteousness needed to enter God’s Kingdom—the total acceptance in God's eyes that Christ gives every believer. Christ has provided these clothes of righteousness for everyone, but each person must choose to put them on in order to enter the King’s banquet (eternal life). There is an open invitation, but we must be ready. For more on the imagery of clothes of righteousness and salvation, see Psalm 132:16: Isaiah 61:10; Zechariah 3:3-5; Revelation 3:4, 5; 19:7, 8.
Life Application Study BibleMatthewChapter 22
Matthew 22
New Living Translation · Life Application Study Bible · Original pages: 1588, 1589, 1590, 1591
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1Jesus also told them other parables. He said, 2“ The Kingdom of Heaven can be illustrated by the story of a king who prepared a great wedding feast for his son. When the banquet was ready, he sent his servants to notify those who were invited. But they all refused to come! 4"So he sent other servants to tell them, ‘The feast has been prepared. The bulls and fattened cattle have been killed, and everything is ready. Come to the banquet” 5But the guests he had invited ignored them and went their own way, one to his farm, another to his business. Others seized his messengers and insulted them and killed them. 7The king was furious, and he sent out his army to destroy the murderers and burn their town. 8And he said to his servants, ‘The wedding feast is ready, and the guests I invited aren't worthy of the honor. 9Now go out to the street corners and invite everyone you see.’ 10So the servants brought in everyone they could find, good and bad alike, and the banquet hall was filled with guests. 11“But when the king came in to meet the guests, he noticed a man who wasn’t wearing the proper clothes for a wedding. 12’Friend,’ he asked, ‘how is it that you are here without wedding clothes?’ But the man had no reply. 13Then the king said to his aides, ‘Bind his hands and feet and throw him into the outer darkness, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.’ 14“For many are called, but few are chosen.”
Religious Leaders Question Jesus about Paying Taxes
(193/Mark 12:13-17; Luke 20:20-26) ‘SThen the Pharisees met together to plot how to trap Jesus into saying something for which he could be arrested. 16They sent some of their disciples, along with the supporters of Herod, to meet with him. “Teacher,” they said, “we know how honest you are. You teach the way of God truthfully. You are impartial and don’t play favorites. 17Now tell us what you think about this: Is it right to pay taxes to Caesar or not?” 18But Jesus knew their evil motives. “You hypocrites!” he said. “Why are you trying to trap me? 19Here, show me the coin used for the tax.” When they handed him a Roman coin,* 20he asked, “Whose picture and title are stamped on it?” 21“Caesar’s,” they replied. “Well, then,” he said, “give to Caesar what belongs to Caesar, and give to God what belongs to God.” 22His reply amazed them, and they went away.
Religious Leaders Question Jesus about the Resurrection
(194/Mark 12:18-27; Luke 20:27-40) 23That same day Jesus was approached by some Sadducees—religious leaders who say there is no resurrection from the dead. They posed this question: 24“ Teacher, Moses said, ‘If a man dies without children, his brother should marry the widow and have a child who will carry on the brother’s name.’* 25Well, suppose there were seven brothers. The oldest one married and then died without children, so his brother married the widow. 26But the second brother also died, and the third brother married her. This continued with all seven of them. 27Last of all, the woman also died. 28So tell us, whose wife will she be in the resurrection? For all seven were married to her.” 29Jesus replied, “ Your mistake is that you don’t know the Scriptures, and you don’t know the power of God. 30For when the dead rise, they will neither marry nor be given in marriage. In this respect they will be like the angels in heaven. 31“But now, as to whether there will be a resurrection of the dead—haven't you ever read about this in the Scriptures? Long after Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob had died, God said,* 32‘1 am the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob.’* So he is the God of the living, not the dead.” 33When the crowds heard him, they were astounded at his teaching.
Religious Leaders Question Jesus about the Greatest Commandment
(195/Mark 12:28-34) 34But when the Pharisees heard that he had silenced the Sadducees with his reply, they met together to question him again. 35One of them, an expert in religious law, tried to trap him with this question: 36“Teacher, which is the most important commandment in the law of Moses?” 37Jesus replied, ““ You must love the LORD your God with all your heart, all your soul, and all your mind.’* 38This is the first and greatest commandment. 39A second is equally important: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’* 40The entire law and all the demands of the prophets are based on these two commandments.”
Religious Leaders Cannot Answer Jesus’ Question
(196/Mark 12:35-37; Luke 20:41-44)
41Then, surrounded by the Pharisees, Jesus asked them a question:
42“What do you thinkabout the Messiah? Whose son is he?”They replied, “He is the son of David.”
43Jesus responded, “Then why does David, speaking under the inspiration of the Spirit,call the Messiah ‘my LORD’? For David said,
44‘The LORD said to my LORD,Sit in the plage of honor at my right handuntil I humble your enemies beneath your feet.’*
45Since David called the Messiah ‘my LORD,’ how can the Messiah be his son?”
46No one could answer him. And after that, no one dared to ask him any more questions.22:31 Greek read about this? God said. 22:32 Exod 3:6. 22:37 Deut 6:5. 22:39 Lev 19:18. 22:44 Ps 110:1.answer gave them a theological victory over the Sadducees,but they were more interested in defeating Jesus than in learningthe truth.22:35-40 The Pharisees, who had classified over 600 laws,often tried to distinguish the more important from the lessimportant. So one of them, an “expert in religious law,” askedJesus to identity the most important law. Jesus quoted fromDeuteronomy 6:5 and Leviticus 19:18. By fulfilling these twocommands, a person keeps all the others. They summarize theTen Commandments and the other Old Testament moral laws.22:37-40 Jesus said that if we truly love God and our neighbor,we will naturally keep the commandments. This is looking atGod's law positively. Rather than worrying about all we shouldnot do, we should concentrate on all we can do to show our lovefor God and others.22:41-45 The Pharisees, Sadducees, and supporters of Herodhad asked their questions. Then Jesus turned the tables andasked them a penetrating question—who they thought theMessiah was. The Pharisees knew that the Messiah would be adescendant of David, but they did not understand that he wouldbe God himself. Jesus quoted from Psalm 110:1 to show thatthe Messiah would be greater than David. (Hebrews 1:13 usesthe same text as proof of Christ's deity.) The most importantquestion we will ever answer is what we believe about Christ.Other theological questions are irrelevant until we believe thatJesus is who he said he is.
Jesus Warns against the Religious Leaders (197/Mark 12:38-40; Luke 20:45-47)
Textual footnotes
- 22:19 Greek a denarius. 22:24 Deut 25:5-6.
Life Application Notes 8 notes
22:15-17The Pharisees, a religious group, opposed the Roman occupation of Palestine. The supporters of Herod, a political party, supported Herod Antipas and the policies instituted by Rome. Normally these two groups were bitter enemies, but here they united against Jesus. Thinking they had a foolproof pian to corner him, together their representatives asked Jesus about paying Roman taxes. If Jesus agreed that it was right to pay taxes to Caesar, the Pharisees would say he was opposed to God, the only King they recognized. If Jesus said the taxes should not be paid, the supporters of Herod would hand him over to Herod on the charge of rebellion. In this case the Pharisees were not motivated by love for God’s laws, and Herod’s supporters were not motivated by love for Roman justice. Jesus’ answer exposed their evil motives and embarrassed them both.
22:17The Jews were required to pay taxes to support the Roman government. They hated this taxation because the money went directly into Caesar's treasury, where some of it went to support the pagan temples and decadent life-style of the Roman aristocracy. Caesar's image on the coins was a constant reminder of Israel's subjection to Rome.
22:21Jesus avoided this trap by showing that we have dual citizenship (1 Peter 2:17). Our citizenship in the nation requires that we pay money for the services and benefits we receive. Our citizenship in the Kingdom of Heaven requires that we pledge to God our ultimate obedience and commitment. 22:23tf After the Pharisees and supporters of Herod had failed to trap Jesus, the Sadducees smugly stepped in to try. They did not believe in the resurrection because the Pentateuch (Genesis—Deuteronomy) has no direct teaching on it. The Pharisees had never been able to come up with a convincing argument from the Pentateuch for the resurrection, and the Sadducees thought they had trapped Jesus for sure. But Jesus was about to show them otherwise (see 22:31, 32 for Jesus’ answer).
22:24The law said that when a woman’s husband died without having a son, the man’s brother had a responsibility to marry and care for the widow (Deuteronomy 25:5, 6). This law protected women who were left alone, because in that culture they usually had no other means to support themselves.
22:29,30The Sadducees asked Jesus what marriage would be like in heaven. Jesus said it was more important to understand God’s power than know what heaven will be like. In every generation and culture, ideas of eternal life tend to be based on images and experiences of present life. Jesus answered that these faulty ideas are caused by ignorance of God's Word. We must not make up our own ideas about eternity and heaven by thinking of it and God in human terms. We should concentrate more on our relationship with God than about what heaven will look like. Eventually we will find out, and it will be far beyond our greatest expectations.
22:31,32Because the Sadducees accepted only the Pentateuch as God’s divine Word, Jesus answered them from the book of Exodus (3:6). God would not have said, “t am the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob” if God thought of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob as dead. From God's perspective, they are alive. Jesus’ use of the present tense pointed to the resurrection and the eternal life that all believers enjoy in him.
22:34We might think the Pharisees would have been glad to see the Sadducees silenced. The question that the Sadducees had always used to trap them was finally answered by Jesus. But the Pharisees were too proud to be impressed. Jesus’
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THE SEVEN SORROWS
Not letting others enter the Kingdom of Heaven and not entering yourselves Converting people away from God to be like yourselves Blindly leading God’s people to follow man-made traditions instead of God’s Word
23:23, 24...... Involving yourself in every tast detail and ignoring what is really important: justice, mercy, and faith
23:25, 26...... Keeping up appearances while your private world is corrupt
23:27, 28...... Acting spiritual to cover up sin
23:29-36....... Pretending to have learned from past history, but your present behavior shows you have learned nothing
Jesus mentioned seven ways to guarantee God's anger, when he told the religious leaders, “What sorrow awaits you.” These seven statements were strong and unforgettable. They are still applicable anytime we become so involved in perfecting the practice of religion that we forget that God is also concerned with mercy, real love, and forgiveness.